If you can't tell from some of my previous posts, I like to find fun or catchy names for "things" or procedures in my classroom. My GIFT to you is my "While You Were Out" box. You may have one. It's awesome.
Do you waste time explaining what students missed "while they were out" (absent)? Of course you don't. You're an effective, amazing teacher!! ORRRrrr...maybe you just haven't come up with a system you like. Don't waste anymore of your valuable time! Here's my procedure:
Step 1: Check the calendar to see what you missed. A simple lesson title will suffice!
Step 2: Go to the "WHILE YOU WERE OUT" Box. Find the folder with either a date or the name of the title of the lesson that you missed. All the papers and notes that were handed out that day will be in that folder!
Step 3: Now it is the STUDENT's responsibility to find a partner and copy notes from the class they missed. I have typed up notes that coincide with my PowerPoint lectures so it makes it easier to have a complete set of notes and students just need to fill in the blanks. Students should also READ THE DIRECTIONS on any other assignments or activities and ask clarifying questions to another student to get answers. If they can't get answers from their peers, THAT's when they can go to the teacher to ask questions about assignments or other class activities.
Step 4: Sit in BLISS now that you don't have to WASTE valuable teaching time REPEATING yourself over and over again to all your students who were so unfortunate to miss your class!
The WHILE YOU WERE OUT Box: Efficient and effective. What a great GIFT. You're welcome :)
This is a great resource to have as a teacher. This can really make it easy to deal with students who miss school. A lot of time can be saved and the teacher can focus on spending their time with lesson prep instead of getting papers and homework together for the students. As a teacher I remember spending a lot of time doing such things. I would love to see something similiar on every teachers blogs.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great way to keep students current on what is going on in your class. I like how it puts the onus of responsibility back on the students. They can certainly handle checking the calendar and folder for work they need to make up. I'm considering organizing folders, like the ones you use, myself.
ReplyDeleteMr. Burton,
ReplyDeleteIt's so easy and I love how organized I FEEL. Now that I am all the time, but when you FEEL it, you just feel so much happier! haha
Happy organizing! Hope it makes your life better- at least at school!
Tara,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a great idea and one that I will definitely be implementing in my classroom. I have always gotten uptight by a student who is absent and then they need all the information they missed, lets not talk about those kids who miss DAYS in a row or a day every week :) I like your system because it is simple, yet effective.
Thanks!!
Tara,
ReplyDeleteI really like the while you were out box idea. It can be time consuming to have students come back and get caught up on their missing work. I use my blog to post the assignments each day so that they can check on missing assignments while at home. This works for math but it doesn't for other curriculum areas. I like how you have organized everything so that students can just come back and grab what they missed. It sounds like it would be easy to just grab the homework if a parent wanted to come and get it at the school. Great ideas and great blog.
Garrett
Tara,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the GIFTS on your blog. The "While you were out" idea works great for upper-elementary students. Do you have any modification ideas for Kindergarteners? Currently, I put a folder on a student's desk when they are absent (it says "ABSENT WORK" on it for any hand-outs that are given out. It would be nice to have something a little 'cuter' and gives them more responsibility.
Great idea. I am the worst with ideas for things like this. I am also not that good with getting students their work when they are absent. This type of idea would work really well for me. It is one less thing to think about. Great blog. Lots of good ideas.
ReplyDelete